Skip to main content
Portland police are patrolling the sidewalks around the Washington Center complex downtown 24 hours a day to extinguish the fentanyl market that had grown up around a vacant property owned by one of Portland’s wealthiest real estate families.
On Monday afternoon, the crowds of people selling and using drugs along the buildings’ perimeter had been replaced with uniformed police officers. A police car was parked under the awning at the corner of Southwest 4th Avenue and Washington Street while officers patrolled the block.
Washington Center, a two-building complex owned by companies controlled by the Menashe family, had become one of the most active sites for buying and using drugs in the city. People had broken windows in the old KeyBank branch there and made themselves at home inside. The police presence comes after WW reported on conditions at the site and a spate of arrests made in recent weeks.
“The Washington Center building continues to be a top public safety concern and priority for our team,” said mayor’s office spokesman Cody Bowman. “Given the extreme conditions at this property, Mayor Wheeler and the Portland Police Bureau have dedicated resources to help restore safety.”
After WW’s first story March 22, the Menashes boarded up the large windows at the KeyBank branch, but people continued to congregate in the covered plazas on the south side of the complex. Days later, on March 31, a 25-year-old woman died of an overdose at the site.
That death was followed by widespread media attention to the complex and its condition. Even Gov. Tina Kotek weighed in today. In recent days, officers were deployed around the clock.
“The Mayor/Police Commissioner has allotted funding and asked PPB to try to fill overtime for a 24/7 walking beat,” Lt. Nathan Sheppard said in an email today.
Lauren Menashe, daughter of Barry Menashe, 69, the founder of Menashe Properties, didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment on the police action.
Wheeler’s office said the duration of the patrols has yet to be determined.
“Timeline is under discussion,” Bowman said in an email.
PPB Sgt. Susan Billard, one of the officers patrolling Washington Center, said the police had been making arrests for fentanyl, including a “significant” one today of a man with several bags of pills in “just about every pocket” and “lots and lots of cash.”
Asked why she thought people chose to congregate at this particular site, Billard said it was because it’s abandoned and offers protection from the rain and safety from prying eyes on three sides.
“There’s no legitimate customer base here,” Billard said in an interview. “There’s no one that’s actually trying to use a doorway. When you have an abandoned building, this is what happens. If we could get this building occupied and get businesses back here, that would be a huge step forward.”